Dating In The Dark (Room)

ABC is launching a new show called Dating In The Dark, in which "six strangers meet in a light-sealed room." And feel each other up to see if they want to "kiss." Tagline: "When the lights come on, will the truth come out?" Oh, hmm. Where have we seen THIS concept before? Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

Context Karma

Hunting The Homo

France has banned a video game in which the goal is to shoot naked homosexuals. The game is owned by a company based in Georgia (the country.)

A video game hosted by a Georgian website is causing outrage in the gay rights community. The idea of the online game - to shoot nudists, before they b**ger you, was created by a Frenchman. It's banned in France... but not in Georgia. The game was initially picked up and slated by the Gay Caucasus blog, shortly followed by Gay Armenia. Global Voices quoted the latter as being "completely disgusted", finding it particularly shocking that the concept was adopted by "those religious-minded people in Tbilisi, Georgia, who swear in the name of Georgian patriarchy and constantly cite Bible to ‘justify' their homophobia and hatred. Is this their (un-)‘orthodox' way of bringing up children by creating an image of an enemy (= gays) and teaching how to deal with it (= kill them)?"

The video company is claiming "freedom of speech."

The Best Little Whorehouse On C Street

Yet another affair among the GOP reps that have lived in the cult-like Christian "C Street House" in DC. This time, the wife is suing.

The estranged wife of former Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), who served 12 years in Congress before retiring in January, has filed a lawsuit against his alleged mistress, claiming their adulterous relationship ruined the Pickerings’ marriage and his political career. Leisha Pickering is suing Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd, her husband’s alleged mistress, for alienation of affection. The Pickerings filed for divorce last year, but the case is not yet final. Leisha Pickering says in her lawsuit that Creekmore Byrd originally “met and had a romantic relationship with [Chip] Pickering which ended prior to their college graduation.

The Pickerings were married after that, but Leisha Pickering now says that, unknown to her, “Creekmore Byrd for a number of years met and rekindled her relationship with Pickering.” Leisha Pickering charges that the adulterous relationship between her husband and Creekmore Byrd ended both their marriages. Leisha Pickering alleges that Creekmore Byrd’s”extramarital relationship” with Chip Pickering began again while he “was a United States Congressman prior to and while living in the well known C Street Complex in Washington, D.C.”

That house sees more action than the Crew Club!

You Will Move Towards The Can Opener......

Animal researchers set up an experiment to find out if cats are controlling their owner's behaviors with their cries. I think you know how this turns out.

While the felines used purr-cries around their familiar owners, they were not eager to make the same cries in front of strangers. So McComb and her team trained cat owners to record their pets' cries - capturing the sounds made by cats when they were seeking food and when they were not. In all, the team collected recordings from 10 different cats. The researchers then played the cries back for 50 human participants, not all of whom owned cats. They found that humans, even if they had never had a cat themselves, judged the purrs recorded while cats were actively seeking food - the purrs with an embedded, high-pitched cry - as more urgent and less pleasant than those made in other contexts.

When the team re-synthesised the recorded purrs to remove the embedded cry, leaving all else unchanged, the human subjects' urgency ratings for those calls decreased significantly. McComb said she thinks this cry occurs at a low level in cats' normal purring, "but we think that cats learn to dramatically exaggerate it when it proves effective in generating a response from humans." In fact, not all cats use this form of purring at all, she said, noting that it seems to most often develop in cats that have a one-on-one relationship with their owners rather than those living in large households, where their purrs might be overlooked.

"The study showed that humans find these mixed calls annoying and difficult to ignore." They needed scientists to know this?

This Weekend: San Diego Pride

The last really big Pride event of the season is this weekend in San Diego, although a few major cities have moved their celebrations into the fall. Here's a little promo clip San Diego Pride made for local tv.

CORRECTION: I should have said: "The last really big Pride event in the U.S. is this weekend." Montreal's event is at the end of the month.

NGLTF Joins "Wait Until 2012" Crowd

The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force has signed on to the "Prepare To Prevail" document, a letter from a large coalition of LGBT and progressive groups stating a plan to wait until 2012 before challenging Proposition 8 at the ballot. Task Force head Rea Carey:

"As a state that has often served as a political and cultural trendsetter for the rest of the country, what happens in California has national significance for the LGBT movement. That's why for well over five years the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has devoted significant human and financial resources to winning the freedom to marry in California. This commitment remains steadfast as we continue to work on the ground in California with the Vote for Equality Project of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and Equality California to build effective models of person-to-person voter persuasion about marriage equality.

"We support the soonest possible return to the ballot box to repeal Prop. 8 that gives the LGBT community a fighting chance to win. The priorities expressed in 'Prepare to Prevail' are about the hard work it will take at the grassroots to move towards a solid victory, and we look forward to continued work with our partners in California to build a strong, diverse and successful campaign for marriage equality."

The "Prepare To Prevail" website is here.

BAM! Rachel Maddow Slams Pat Buchanan

Pat Buchanan on why 108 of 110 SCOTUS justices have been white:

Pat Buchanan: "White men were 100% of the people that wrote the Constitution, 100% of the people that signed the Declaration of Independence, 100% of the people who died at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, probably close to 100% of the people who died at Normandy. This has been a country built basically by white folks, who were 90% of the nation in 1960 when I was growing up and the other 10% were African-Americans who had been discriminated against. That's why."

Rachel Maddow: "I would hope that you would see that picking 108 out of 110 white justices of the Supreme Court means that other people are not being appropriately considered... and the reason we have affirmative action is you recognize that the fact that people were discriminated against for hundreds of years means that you sort of gamed the system unless you give other people a leg up..."

GOP Rep. Todd Tiahrt: Would Obama's Mother Have Had An Abortion?

Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) wonders if President Obama's mother would have had an abortion if there had been federal funding to pay for it.

TABC Chief: We Messed Up

The head of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission yesterday admitted that his agents violated their own procedures in their raid of the Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth. The Dallas Voice has an exclusive interview:

The administrator of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said this week that two TABC agents involved in a raid of the Rainbow Lounge on June 28 committed multiple “clear violations” of agency policy. In an exclusive phone interview with Dallas Voice on Wednesday, July 15, TABC Administrator Alan Steen also said the supervisor directly responsible for the two agents — a sergeant in TABC’s Fort Worth district office — announced his retirement last week in the wake of the raid and amid an ongoing internal investigation. Steen didn’t identify the sergeant or the agents by name.

“I don’t think you have to dig very deep to figure out that TABC has violated some of their policies,” Steen said. “We know that, and I apologize for that. Like I said in my original press release, we have in the past and we will in the future act very swiftly in making sure that those issues are corrected. It’s real clear that however it is that we were doing business that night is not the typical TABC. ... I have good policy in place, I have good training in place, and I have good supervision in place to ensure that things like this don’t happen.” Steen said if the two agents, who are on desk duty pending the outcome of the investigation, sought approval from the supervisor before the Rainbow Lounge inspection, it shouldn’t have been granted. The agents were accompanied by six Fort Worth police officers.

As ugly as this entire situation has been, heads have rolled, investigations continue, and the voices of the LGBT community are clearly being listened to Fort Worth. That, at least, is satisfying. Expect a big settlement for Chad Gibson.

BREAKING: Matthew Shepard Act Passes U.S. Senate

LGBT history was made late last night when U.S. Senate passed the Matthew Shepard Act as an amendment to a defense appropriations bill. This is the most dramatic federal endorsement of LGBT rights in history and the first major achievement made during the Obama administration.

The Senate has approved the most sweeping expansion of federal hate crimes protections since the original law was enacted after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The legislation broadens federal reach to protect those physically attacked because of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or a disability. Current law is limited to crimes motivated by race, ethnicity or religion. The Senate approved the measure on a voice vote immediately after voting 63-28 to overcome Republican-led opposition to considering the measure an amendment to a defense spending bill. Sixty votes were needed to clear that procedural hurdle. The House in April passed a stand-alone hate crimes bill that is similar to the Senate legislation.

Congratulations are due in particular to Judy Shepard, who has spent the last ten years passionately fighting for this win. Thank you, Judy. Thank you.

UPDATE: Well, you knew there'd be a snag with attaching the bill to DOD funding.

Though the amendment garnered three votes more than necessary to reach cloture, the fate of the hate crimes measure is now partially linked to $1.75 billion in funding for F-22 fighter jets that is also included in the DOD legislation. President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates both oppose the F-22 program and a White House spokesperson said the president will not sign a DOD bill that continues to fund the program.

"The President has long supported the hate crimes bill and gave his personal commitment to Judy Shepard that we will enact an inclusive bill,” said Shin Inouye, referring to Shepard’s Oval Office visit with the president earlier this year. “Unfortunately, the President will have to veto the Defense Authorization bill if it includes wasteful spending for additional F-22s. The collective judgment of the Service Chiefs and Secretaries of the military departments is that the current program is sufficient to meet operational requirements. A Presidential veto would not indicate any change in President Obama’s commitment to seeing the hate crimes bill enacted."

Senators Carl Levin and John McCain have offered a bi-partisan amendment to remove the F-22 funding that is scheduled for a vote Monday, but insiders say the count is unclear. If the amendment fails and President Obama vetoes the bill, it will be sent back to the Senate for a rewrite. A Democratic Senate aide said Senator Reid was optimistic, nonetheless, that hate crimes would ultimately make the final version of DOD authorization. “This was a good vote,” said the aide. “Senator Reid is hopeful that we can keep this language in the final bill.”

Obama To NAACP: Our Gay Brother And Sisters Are Still Denied Their Rights

McCain Objects To Hate Crimes Bill

Sen. John McCain spoke on the record today at the floor of the Senate to object to the Matthew Shepard Act being attached to a defense appropriations bill.

"This is a complete abdication of the responsibilities of the judiciary committee but more importantly could hang up this bill for a long period. While we have young Americans fighting and dying in two wars we’re going to take up the hate crimes bill because the majority leader thinks that’s more important — more important than legislation concerning the defense of this nation.

'It requires citizens hearings, and debate. But what are we going to do? For reasons that I guess the majority leader can make clear because I don’t get it, wants to put it on the national defense authorization bill and pass it that way. Now, [he will] probably succeed and he’s calling it bipartisan. The last time I checked it has 44 Democrat sponsors and two Republicans. That’s the definition around here of ‘bipartisan’ bills. That’s the way the stimulus package was bipartisan. That’s how the omnibus spending bill was bipartisan.

"And I’m confident if the health care reform - “reform” - it will be reasonable in another “bipartisan” fashion. So we’ll have some hours of debate. We’ll have more exacerbated feel ensure between this side of the aisle and that side of the aisle. I would imagine that the hate crimes bill, given the way, the makeup of this body, may even be put on a defense authorization. A huge issue. A huge issue. It will now be placed on a defense authorization bill and passed through the congress and signed by the president. That’s a great disservice to the American people, Mr. President. The American people deserve debate and discussion and hearings and witnesses on this legislation."

The bill may be voted on tonight or tomorrow.

Quote Of The Day - Johnny Depp

"My dream role would be to play musical legend Carol Channing in a biopic of her life. I love her, I really do. She's amazing. With all the digital technology available these days I could probably pull it off. I'd have a go at playing a 12-year-old girl if they asked me to." - Johnny Depp, speaking to the UK's Mirror.

Aussie Activists Angered By "Ex-Gay" Letter Published By Catholic High School

In its alumni newsletter, a Catholic high school in New South Wales, Australia has published a letter from an "ex-gay" former student that local activists say calls for the murder of homosexuals.

Xavier High School in Albury printed the letter, written by former student Matt Price, in the latest edition of its alumni newsletter Xavier. Mr Price said he was "trying to make the world free of homosexuals", who live lives devoted to "sex and drugs". "The gay side of life, all it's ever been is going out and doing that sort of stuff … the world just really doesn't need that," he said. Mr Price said he was a "cured" homosexual and now lived in Noosa working as a registered nurse. Anti-discrimination campaigner Garry Burns blasted Xavier High's decision to publish the letter, saying he understood Mr Price's letter to mean that gays and lesbians should be killed. "It says he wants the removal of homosexuals from the face of the earth and there's only one way to interpret that," Burns told ninemsn. "There are people out there who will express that endorsement through bashings, murder and all sorts of things … they'll go out and say the Catholic Church is right: 'let's get a poof and kill him'."

Xavier High School headmaster Neville Powells offers a not-apology: “Letters to the editor in any publication are the views of the author and not necessarily the views of the editor or organisation. We live in a country where free speech is available to all. That said, I apologise for any offence caused … none was intended.”

Sotomayor Grilled On Same-Sex Marriage

Sonia Sotomayor says she will look at same-sex marriage "with a completely open mind" and seemed to take offense at any implication that she's already decided on the issue.

NOTE: Argh. I'm trying to transcribe Sotomayor's comments and this C-SPAN player is the pits. This post replaces a previous post that went kerfluey with these C-SPAN players. Let's try again.

(Via - HRC Backstory)

Edward Current - Thy Rod, Thy Staff

From my second-favorite YouTube atheist, a litany of Biblical erection jokes.

Go Read Eric Leven

JMG reader Moby sent an interesting link last night that I immediately forwarded to Eric Leven, knowing that Eric would do the subject justice. He didn't let me down.

New Evidence In Ft. Worth Bar Raid

Fort Worth police have released more information about the raid of the Rainbow Lounge. According to the report, police returned to the bar two days after arrested a departing patron for public intoxication.

That weekend, officers returned to the lounge with TABC officers for a bar check. A police radio recording revealed that an officer called for help after they went inside the Rainbow Lounge. "I need help in here," he could be heard saying. "I'm by the restroom." That call came when officers said a customer blew a kiss at the officer, and then struggled with police as they tried to arrest him. The customer told News 8 his arm was injured. In police records, officers also said a woman's hips touched an officer in a sexually explicit way. The reports also said Gibson tapped an officer's genitals. "[It] didn't happen," Gibson said. "It's a big lie."

In records, a Fort Worth officer admitted involvement in the physical struggle with Gibson inside the bar, which ended with Gibson on the ground as they arrested him. At some point, Gibson suffered a brain injury. "We've got a guy, alcohol intoxication," an officer could be heard saying in a recording. "Also, a bruised head." The big question is whether the injury happened inside with Fort Worth officers or outside with TABC agents. TABC agents said Gibson fell on concrete. Pictures show Gibson covered in vomit outside and his head bleeding. The sudden nausea, his family said, is evidence the injury happened inside the bar.

Somebody blew me a kiss! Send in a SWAT team!

Howard Dean Endorses Kirsten Gillibrand

And in this clip, they both discuss marriage equality and LGBT rights.

NYT Launches TimesReader 2.0

$3.45/week for the entire New York Times downloaded daily to your laptop "in seconds." That's a lot more than the proposed $5/month to read the Times online, which we heard about last week. Still, it's a lot less than buying the paper on the LIRR platform every day and you don't need to be online to read it. Opinions?

Death Sells

Michael Jackson sold more albums in the last two weeks than in the last two years. Almost 90% of the sales have been physical albums, as fans want a tangible keepsake. Retailers think sales may actually increase as they replace the depleted stock and widen their offerings of his back catalog. Jackson's Number Ones is the top selling U.S. album for the third week and he owns the entire top ten of the Catalog Albums chart. A friend of mine whose company has the rights to some of Jackson's catalog told me, "I wish he could die every week!"

You Are Now Free To Scoot About The Cabin*

Maybe the economy isnt' that bad if somebody can launch an all dog-and-cat airline.

Pet Airways will fly a pet between five major cities — New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. The $250 one-way fare is comparable to pet fees at the largest U.S. airlines. For owners, the big difference is service. Dogs and cats will fly in the main cabin of a Suburban Air Freight plane, retooled and lined with carriers in place of seats. Pets (about 50 on each flight) will be escorted to the plane by attendants that will check on the animals every 15 minutes during flight. The pets are given pre-boarding walks and bathroom breaks. At each of the five airports it serves, the company has created a "Pet Lounge" for future fliers to wait and sniff before flights. The company will operate out of smaller, regional airports in the five launch cities, which will mean an extra trip for most owners dropping off their pets if they are flying too. Stops in cities along the way means the pets will take longer to reach a destination than their owners.

Pet Airways says they're already sold out for the first two months.

*Toby!!!

Pot Could Bring $1.4B To CA Economy

Back in February, openly gay California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano proposed legalizing the sale of marijuana, a move tax experts predicted would bring in an annual $1B in desperately needed tax revenues. The tax experts were wrong.

California tax officials have found that a state bill to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol would generate nearly $1.4 billion in revenue. A State Board of Equalization report released Wednesday estimates marijuana retail sales would bring $990 million from a $50-per-ounce fee and $392 million in sales taxes. The bill introduced by San Francisco Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano in February would allow adults to legally possess, grow and sell marijuana. Ammiano has promoted the bill as a way to help bridge the state's $26.3 billion budget shortfall.

Ammiano is rewriting his bill to remove the stipulation that the federal government must legalize pot before taxes can be collected. BTW, is $50/ounce a good price? Would that undercut the street dealers? I've never bought it, never enjoyed it, hate the smell, but totally support legalization.

The Power Of Love

Secret Homo! Blind Item From The Illinois Family Institute

Laurie Higgins of the Illinois Family Institute, which the Southern Poverty Law Center ranks as an anti-gay hate group, has issued this curious blind item about a local "moderate" GOP politician.

Now is the time for those running for public office in Illinois to come clean about the skeletons, or mistresses, or prostitutes, or congressional pages, or homosexual partners lurking in their closets. The past few years have been a veritable anti-treasure trove of political closet cleanings, and many Illinoisans are sick of them. Rumors have been swirling for years that a sometime-married elected Illinois representative who now seeks higher office is homosexual. Rumors continue to swirl that his sexual peccadillo and deceit have been aided and abetted by those who bask in his, I hope, dimming light, just as Mark Foley's double life was aided and abetted by Denny Hastert. Those who aid and abet in the sexual immorality and deceit of public servants do neither the public nor political parties any favors.

The scumbags at the IFI are among the nation's more outrageous Liars For Christ™, what with claiming that Carrie Prejean would have gone to jail under the Matthew Shepard Act, etc. I wonder why they're pulling their punches here of all places?

Catholics Launch Three-State-Hate Tour

A Catholic Church-sponsored outfit laboriously called The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property has launched a three state anti-gay marriage "crusade" in New York, Rhode Island, and Maine.

Starting today, TFP volunteers, divided into three contingents, called Saint Joseph Caravans, will tour major cities rallying support for traditional marriage. The Catholic group's handout offers "Ten reasons why homosexual 'marriage' is harmful and must be opposed," and calls on Americans to firmly and peacefully oppose the advance of the homosexual movement. "Like counterfeit currency, homosexual 'marriage' is not true marriage. It is morally wrong, sinful, offensive to God and a violation of natural law," said TFP spokesman John Ritchie. "To claim that marriage can be anything other than the union of one man and one woman is a flat denial of reality," he continued.

This summer, the state of Massachusetts is suing the United States, challenging the constitutionality of part of the Defense of Marriage Act. The challenge caused concern among pro-family advocates who believe the effort is one more step in the process to undermine the traditional family, the basic cell of society, and to destroy the innocence of our children and grandchildren. "Parents don't want their children in grade school to be told that the homosexual lifestyle is fine, but that's already happening," said Ritchie. "It's part of the homosexual movement's concerted effort to force the sexual revolution into the mainstream culture and banish God and His law from the public square."

According to the TFP's FAQ page, they stand for "monogamous and indissoluble marriage," and for a "protective wall against all Marxist, socialist and communist thought." Their volunteers appear at protests wearing red capes.

ABC's Jake Tapper Confronts Robert Gibbs About Obama's Position On Marriage

Seizing on Bill Clinton's reversal on same-sex marriage, ABC reporter Jake Tapper asked White House press secretary Robert Gibbs to react. As usual, Gibbs ducked and bobbed. The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld has the exchange:

Tapper: Former President Bill Clinton recently said that he's basically in support of same-sex marriage. "I think it's wrong," he said, "for someone to stop someone else from getting involved in same-sex marriage." Has President Obama heard these comments? Does he have a reaction? And why is Bill Clinton wrong about this issue?

Gibbs: Well, I'm not going to get into anybody's opinion -- I'm not going to criticize anybody's opinion, least of all a former President of the United States, on something like this. I am not clear whether the President has seen that. I don't know where that was from, so I don't know if the President has seen it.

Tapper: But President Obama holds a different opinion?

Gibbs: President Obama holds the same opinion he has earlier today.

Tapper: Which is that same-sex marriage is wrong.

Gibbs: He does not support it. He supports civil unions
.
Tapper: Why does he feel differently than President Bill Clinton?

Gibbs: Because they don't agree on the issue. (Laughter.) I've not obviously spent a lot of --

Tapper: That's not really an explanation of why he feels differently. That's another word for it.

Gibbs: Well, I mean, I'm happy to -- I mean, I think the President has answered this question a number of times. I can't form a basis for why former President Clinton -- I've obviously not had a conversation with him on this issue, so I don't know what -- it's hard for me to compare some of this because I don't have the basis by which he's making that decision.

Typically Gibbsian, eh?

Sean Hannity On Major "Birther" Cook

After he claimed that President Obama is not a U.S. citizen and therefore not authorized to order him to Afghanistan, Major Stefan Cook had his orders to deploy revoked. Sean Hannity is promoting Cook's lawyers claim that the order revocation is Obama's admission of being foreign-born.

Open Thread Thursday

Regrets, I've had a few. How 'bout you?

Sotomayor Asked About Marriage

In the third day of her confirmation hearings, Sonia Sotomayor was finally asked about same-sex marriage. But the SCOTUS nominee said she couldn't answer.

The subject was raised indirectly by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa). Grassley did not mention same-sex marriage directly, but that was the implication when he asked Sonia Sotomayor about a court ruling that said Minnesota could deny a marriage license to two men. Did she agree, he asked, that the case, Baker vs. Nelson, reserved the question of marriage to the states? In Baker, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that two men could be denied a marriage license because Minnesota law limited marriage to men and women.

As she has with other topics, Sotomayor said she couldn’t comment because questions about marriage are pending in many courts and might reach the Supreme Court. Grassley challenged her on that point. He wondered aloud why she couldn’t comment on Baker because it’s legal precedent. He noted that on Tuesday she said that Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion, was an established legal precedent. If she could characterize the status of Roe, he asked, why not Baker? The judge replied that she had not reviewed Baker in some time but offered to review the case overnight and report on it Thursday. Grassley said he would welcome that.

Tomorrow should be interesting.

Daily Grumble

So last night the New York Philharmonic gave a little free concert in Central Park. A free concert for 100,000 people. Some HuffPo blogger is calling it "Ludwigstock." Funny. And annoying, because even though I'm just a few blocks from the park, I never knew about it. The New York Times reviewed the event as "the perfect New York night." Argh. That's life in a city of millions...who even notices an extra 100,000 people in the neighborhood? Dammit.

GOP Senator Does Ricky Ricardo Impression To Sonia Sotomayor

SRSLY. Maybe Sen. Coburn thinks Lucy was married to a Puerto Rican?

YouSuckAtCraigslist.com

My latest obsession. Start here. Or here.

Crackbarry: Homo Set Me Up!

DC City Councilman Marion "Crack" Barry says he's being investigated for ethics violations in retribution for campaigning against marriage equality. Via Gay Politics:

Washington, D.C. City Councilman Marion Barry is accusing his openly gay colleague, David Catania, of targeting him on unrelated ethics questions because Barry refused to support a measure that resulted in the District government recognizing legally-married same-sex couples, according to report by a local FOX News affiliate. Barry, a longtime supporter of LGBT rights in D.C., has cited discord between the LGBT community and African-American religious leaders for his current stance on marriage equality. New ethics questions have surfaced about Barry’s role in administering grant money authorized by the city council.

Phil Vassar - Bobbi With An 'I'

(Via - Towleroad)

Hate Crimes: Count The Lies

Get out your Liars Bell and give it a DING every time you hear the Family Research Council lie about hate crimes in this clip. Special guest appearance from voter registration fraudster Bishop Harry Jackson.

On Monday, Senate Democrats attached the Matthew Shepard Act to the Defense Department's annual appropriation bill, something the NY Times calls a "must-pass measure." Right now the bill is being discussed on the Senate floor, although most attention remains on the Sotomayor hearings and there is no quorum. Go to C-SPAN2 for limited live coverage.

Bear Fashion

Head over to Bearotic for a rundown of Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck's latest bear fashion show. I'm not too crazy about some of the looks, especially the muumuu/house dress line, but the models are worth a gander. The link is possibly NSFW. Love the designer's last name.

(Tipped by JMG reader Matt)

Pakistan Grants Transgender Rights

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that transgender people are "full and equal citizens" and should be accorded all the rights and benefits of federal and provincial governments. The following story is from DAWN, Pakistan's leading English language newspaper, which while sympathetic, refers to trans folks as "transvestites," "hermaphrodites", and "gender-confused."

"They are citizens of Pakistan and enjoy the same protection guaranteed under Article four (rights of individuals to be dealt with in accordance of law) and Article nine (security of person) of the Constitution," ruled a three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Muhammad Sair Ali and Justice Jawwad S Khawaja on Tuesday. The bench had taken up the petition seeking establishment of a commission to emancipate effeminate men ostracised by the society for no fault of theirs.

Islamic jurist Dr Mohammad Aslam Khaki, who researched on the conditions of the ignominious merrymakers and discovered them to be the most oppressed and deprived segment of the society and subjected to humiliation and molestation, had filed the petition for the welfare of the transvestites left by the society to live by begging, dancing and prostitution. Parents give their hermaphrodite children into the care of gurus (leaders of transvestites) at a very tender age who abuse them instead of providing them the opportunity to get education.

One transwoman stated that by appearing before the Court to plead her case, she had probably put her life at risk.

(Tipped by JMG reader Osman)

Sexual Harassment Code Struck Down At Los Angeles City College

A judge has struck down Los Angeles City College's sexual harassment code, ruling that it violates the students' right to free speech. Last fall a professor interrupted a student speaking in opposition to marriage equality, calling him a "fascist bastard." When the student received his paper, the professor had written "Ask God what your grade is" on it. The professor contended that speaking against gay rights constituted sexual harassment and threatened to have the student expelled.

U.S. District Judge George King issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by a Christian student named Jonathan Lopez, who accused his professor at L.A. City College of censoring his classroom speech about his religious beliefs, including his opposition to gay marriage. Lopez claimed the professor called him a "fascist bastard," cut his presentation short and refused to grade it. The student also challenged the district's sexual harassment code as overly broad. King ruled that by using "subjective" terms such as "hostile" and "offensive," the district's policy encroached on constitutional free speech protections. "We...recognize that Defendants have, laudably, attempted to prevent sexual harassment on the District’s campuses," King’s order read. "Nevertheless, because the Policy regulates expression as well as conduct, we must ensure that it complies with the First Amendment."

The lawsuit was brought by the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund. World Net Daily exults over the win with this headline: "Homosexclamation! Christian student fights prof, wins big." The student is also seeking financial damages.

Sotomayor's A Terrorist!

Oh, brother. Check out this ad from some nutjob outfit called "The Committee For Justice."

Think Progress responds:

"The claim that Sotomayor led a terrorist organization apparently refers to her service on the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, a mainstream civil rights organization. It seems that, in the right-wing mind, a group that protects Latinos from race discrimination is exactly the same as al Qaeda."

James Hartline, Again

Nutjob "ex-gay" activist James Hartline spoke at yesterday's meeting of the San Diego City Council, issuing his annual complaint that the city was recognizing gay Pride.

A group led by James Hartline denounced the celebration and has asked the city council to oppose San Diego Pride, saying it promotes pornography and sin. "I have pictures that I'll be glad to provide for you where we have pictures of women showing completely their breasts," said Hartline. Catcalls came from the council audience, apparently from members of the gay community. A Pride organizer said they are tired of the same old rhetoric. "We see this every year. As a matter of fact, this was less heated than usual," said Phil Princetta of San Diego LGBT Pride. San Diego police had to escort one man out after he yelled at the council for supporting Pride. He was allowed back in and sat silently in prayer as the council unanimously supported the proclamation.

Pride organizers said they try to make sure all participants follow the city's policies on public behavior. "We ourselves make sure that every single contingent in the parade has a copy of that policy and understands that it is not acceptable," said Princetta. Hartline said he doubts it, and said San Diego Pride would die if it wasn't for people behaving badly. "If they took all the pornography out of it, all the loose nudity and all those things, they wouldn't have too many people even showing up to the event," said Hartline. Hartline said the council is entirely too gay-friendly. He also called councilwoman Sherri Lightner a hypocrite because she used to be a Sunday school teacher. If you're not proud of telling them that in your Sunday school class, why are you so glad to do it here?" said Hartline.

You may recall that last year Hartline claimed that the wildfires that devastated the San Diego area were God's punishment for the region having voted against Prop 8.

Fort Worth's Mayor: I'm Sorry For Bar Raid

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief has issued an apology for the raid of the Rainbow Lounge.

About 250 people packed council chambers and another 150 watched on televisions in the hallway or overflow rooms as officials briefly discussed the June 28 joint raid by the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission and the Fort Worth Police Department at the Rainbow Lounge, which left one man hospitalized with a serious head injury. Moncrief told the meeting neither the TABC nor police had finished investigations into the raid, which initially had been called a routine license inspection. But the mayor said he has asked the U.S. Attorney's Office to review the department's findings. Someone in the audience then called out for an apology. "If you want an apology from the mayor of Fort Worth: I am sorry about what happened in Fort Worth," Moncrief said, as the crowd erupted in applause and stood. Seven members of a gay rights group were escorted out of the building earlier after demanding council members let them immediately comment on the raid.

Yesterday Fort Worth police chief Jeff Halstead appointed an LGBT liaison to the police department.

Ladies Of The View On Bruno

Barbara Walters: "I don't need to know how you are doing anal intercourse!"

Mormon Congressman Submits Bill To Overturn DC Marriage Recognition

Rep. Jason Chaffertz (R-UT) has submitted a bill that would overturn Washington DC's brand new marriage recognition law. And fellow GOP House member Rep. Steve King (R-IA) has submitted a bill to block the city's domestic partnership bill. Neither bill is expected to make it through the House Rules Committee. They're both just playing to the hate crowd.

Maddow On Growing Cheney Scandal

Harry Reid Supports DADT Suspension

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he'll support the proposed amendment to suspend enforcement of DADT, but says he'd like to make its suspension permanent.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that he would support a measure being considered by some senators that would put an 18-month moratorium on investigations and discharges of gay soldiers in the military. But Reid said he would take the potential amendment to the Department of Defense reauthorization bill one step further. "I would make it permanent," he added, suggesting that he would permanently suspend discharges. "We're having trouble getting people into the military and I don't think that we should turn down anybody that's willing to fight for our country, certainly [not] based on sexual orientation." Reid's comments gave a boost to an amendment that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is considering offering to the DOD legislation that would suspend investigations of soldiers suspected to be gay -- thereby stopping discharges of soldiers under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy -- until the end of the 111th Congress.

Olbermann's Worst: Major Stefan Cook

Linda, You Homewrecker!

Lithuania Censors Media References To Homosexuality

Lithuania's parliament has passed a bill censoring information about homosexuality in media accessible by children, including television, movies, and the internet.

Vowing to defend family values in the predominantly Catholic nation, lawmakers overturned a presidential veto on the legislation, which bans publicly disseminating material deemed harmful to the mental health and "intellectual or moral development" of minors. The measure lists 19 examples of "detrimental" information, including material that "agitates for homosexual, bisexual, and polygamous relations," instructions on how to make explosives and graphic depictions of violence or death. It also bars information that gives credence to paranormal phenomena, hypnosis or "promotes bad eating." While critics said the text violated the freedom of speech and international standards of human rights, others said the vague wording would make it difficult to enforce. The text does not define "public information" in detail, though it makes references to TV programs, films, computer games and advertising as well as online and print media accessible by children. "This is absurd. I cannot even imagine how they will implement this law," said Dainius Radzevicius, chairman of the Lithuanian Journalists Union.

The lawmaker that sponsored the censorship bill is also seeking a "total ban" on homosexuality, whatever that means. Lithuania's action today continues a pattern of repression of LGBT people across the Baltic nations.

Sotomayor: Roe Is Settled Law

The wingnuts are gonna go ballistic. Wheee!!

UPDATE: "Jane Roe" herself was arrested at yesterday's hearing.

Norma McCorvey, 61, of Texas, better known as "Jane Roe," began screaming that Sotomayor was "wrong" about abortion during the opening statement of the newest member of the Senate, Al Franken, D-Minn. McCorvey's suit led to the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. But in recent years, she switched sides to speak out against abortion. Capitol Police identified the other three arrested as: Robert James, from Virginia; Andrew Beacham of Indiana; and Francis Mahoney of Florida. Police did not provide their hometowns. The first outburst came during Sen. Dianne Feinstein's opening statement. A man in the back of the room interrupted the California Democrat's remarks by shouting: "Senator! What about the unborn!" He called abortion "genocide."

Same-Sex Marriage Home Party Kit!!!

Over at Good As You, Jeremy has uncovered the NOM-affiliated Ruth Institute's "Same Sex Marriage Home Party Kit." For a mere $100 you get bumper stickers, wrist bands, CDs, and the four hour DVD course on why Jeebus himself endorses opposite marriage.

Make a difference in your community with your own friends and neighbors! Purchase the "Same Sex Marriage Affects Everyone Home Party Kit." It contains all the tools you need to become an effective advocate for the institution of marriage.

Birthers Win Court Case, Judge To Hear Alan Keyes' Claim On Obama's Eligibility

The birthers won a small court victory yesterday when a Los Angeles judge agreed to hear Alan Keyes' claim that Barack Obama was born in Kenya and therefore ineligible to be U.S. president.

The case, Alan Keyes, et al. v Barack H. Obama, et al. was filed on Inauguration Day and is one of a raft of suits alleging Obama is ineligible to be president because he is not a "natural born citizen.” Such claims have fared badly in court to date. In December, for example, the Supreme Court dismissed without comment a case challenging Obama’s right to take the oath of office. Perhaps because of that history, Orly Taitz, the lawyer who filed the current suit, was greatly cheered by Monday’s hearing. "He's very determined to hear the case on the merits," Taitz said, referring to the judge. "He stated, the country needs to know if Mr. Obama is legitimate, if he can legitimately stay in the White House."

That’s not quite the way Asst. U.S. Atty. David DeJute heard the judge’s comments. Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said that “the judge did make a bunch of comments about having the matter correctly and thoroughly aired, once and if they got to the merits of the actual lawsuit, which was not the subject of today's discussion." The key word is “if,” Mrozek stressed. “We're literally at procedural grounds at this point in time," he said.

Meanwhile U.S. Army Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook is refusing to deploy to Afghanistan, saying that our "illegal president" has no authority to order him there. Note that the same lawyer that brought the Keyes case is representing Major Cook.

Cook’s lawyer, Orly Taitz, who has also challenged the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency in other courts, filed a request last week in federal court seeking a temporary restraining order and status as a conscientious objector for his client. In the 20-page document — filed July 8 with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia — the California-based Taitz asks the court to consider granting his client’s request based upon Cook’s belief that Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and is therefore ineligible to serve as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces. Cook further states he “would be acting in violation of international law by engaging in military actions outside the United States under this President’s command. ... simultaneously subjecting himself to possible prosecution as a war criminal by the faithful execution of these duties.”

As usual, over at Wingnut Central, there are at least a dozen birther-related stories, including one complaining that a World Net Daily reporter was "belittled" by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.

"You know, Lester, I – I want to stay on this for a second, Lester, I want to stay on this for a second, because you're a smart man, right?" said Gibbs. "Hypothetical," said an unidentified reporter. "All right, all right, settle down in here. Only I get to make jokes like that," said Gibbs.

As part of their proof of Obama's ineligibility, WND points to an ongoing edit war on Wikipedia, where two times Obama's bio has showed him as born in Kenya. But "the man" keeps changing it back to Hawaii. Or something.

Bill Clinton Supports Marriage Equality

Bill Clinton has come out in support of marriage equality. Via The Nation:

After speaking at the Campus Progress National Conference in Washington, DC, on July 8, the former president was asked if he supported same-sex marriage. Clinton, in a departure from past statements, replied in the affirmative. Clinton opposed same-sex marriage during his presidency, and in 1996, he signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which limited federal recognition of marriage to one man and one woman. In May of this year, Clinton told a crowd at Toronto's Convention Centre that his position on same-sex marriage was "evolving."

Apparently, Clinton's thinking has now further evolved. Asked if he would commit his support for same-sex marriage, Clinton responded, "I'm basically in support." This spring, same-sex marriage was legalized in Iowa, Vermont, Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire. In his most recent remarks on the subject, Clinton said, "I think all these states that do it should do it." The former president, however, added that he does not believe that same-sex marriage is "a federal question." Asked if he personally supported same-sex marriage, Clinton replied, "Yeah." "I personally support people doing what they want to do," Clinton said. "I think it's wrong for someone to stop someone else from doing that [same-sex marriage]."

The article calls Clinton "the highest profile reversal" in the history of the marriage equality movement.

Survey Request From The National LGBT Cancer Network

The National LGBT Cancer Network would like your help.

The National LGBT Cancer Network wants to do something about the increasing prevalence of anal cancer in our community. First, we need to find out what people know about anal cancer. We are asking gay and bisexual men to complete a brief (5-minute) anonymous online survey to assess their knowledge of anal cancer. We are particularly interested in hearing from and hope that you will publicize this request through your blog, listserves, website, mailing lists. The more respondents we have, the more we learn.

In the general population, anal cancer is a rare disease, but among men who have sex with men (MSM), the incidence of anal cancer is 40% higher and increasing annually. However, the majority of gay men know little about the disease, have ever been tested for it, or even know that screening tests exist. Health care professionals, too, remain divided on how and whether to screen for it. In fact, a standardized screening protocol for anal cancer does not yet exist.

To participate, click here.

THANK YOU. To learn more about cancer in the LGBT community and the work of the National LGBT Cancer Network, please visit our website, www.cancer-network.org.

Please consider taking part, it will only take you a few minutes.

UPDATE: JMG reader Band makes the excellent point that you should take the survey before reading the comments on this post, which may influence how you answer the survey's questions. Take the survey FIRST.

Sotomayor: Day Two

Things are just getting started. Today should be a lot more interesting.

UPDATE: Hearing is concluded, live feed ended.

You Can't Say "Blowjob" On Cable?

Tonight In Illinois: Protest Against Exodus International

If you're in the Chicago area, you might want to join the Gay Liberation Network's protest against Exodus International (PDF), who are opening their national "We're totally not gay anymore, we swear!" convention tonight.

Exodus International is the nation's foremost organization claiming to use Christianity to turn LGBT people into "ex-gays." And while they say they "love" us, their fake attempts to change gays into straights is rooted in their hatred of gay people. They oppose all civil rights for LGBT people – equal employment, housing and access to public accomodations, and one of their board members even traveled to Uganda recently to endorse a vicious law which makes gay sex punishable by life imprisonment. Every major, relevant professional association has denounced Exodus's efforts as potentially very damaging to the very people Exodus claims to "help."

The protest takes place at 6:30 PM at Wheaton College. 500 College Avenue, Wheaton, Illinois. GLN is arranging transportation from Chicago and seeks additional drivers.

Fritz Helder & The Phantoms - Lagerfeld Lady

I've been digging this clip from Toronto's gay gay gay Fritz Helder & The Phantoms for a few days now. It's not to my usual tastes, but there's something about it....

Daily Ungrumble

Seriously, how fantastic is Nurse Jackie? I'm loving Edie Falco's pill-popping, adulterous title character, the ice princess English doctor, the Tourette's guy with lesbian moms, and especially the hot hot gay male nurse Mo-Mo played by Haaz Sleiman. The camp factor is through the roof.

Real nurses aren't too crazy about the way Jackie is portrayed, what with her stealing from the pharmacy and committing a little bit of euthanasia here and there, and the New York State Nurses Association wants the show to put in a disclaimer that Jackie's character is "an aberration." But such a complicated character is what makes the show so riveting and damn funny. I just wish it wasn't only a half-hour long.

The "Biggest Cheney Scandal" Yet?

Dick Cheney kept an as yet undescribed CIA program secret from Congress, in direct violation of federal law.

RELATED: Cheney spawn Liz says she is considering running for office. Oh noes!

Fight Prop 8 In 2010? Gay Groups Disagree

LGBT and progressive organizations are in disagreement over whether to battle for the repeal of Proposition 8 in 2010.

"Going back to the ballot . . . in 2010 would be rushed and risky," read a joint statement issued Monday by three gay rights groups and signed by more than two dozen other groups and individuals. "We should proceed with a costly, demanding, and high-stakes electoral campaign of this sort only when we are confident we can win." Jim Key, spokesman for the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, also worried that a 2010 political campaign might tap the same donors that service organizations rely on to fund HIV care, services for homeless youths and other programs at a time when, because of the economy, those programs are needed the most.

Other gay leaders vociferously disagreed. "There is a majority of the community . . . that favors going forward in 2010," said John Henning, executive director of the pro-same-sex-marriage group Love Honor Cherish. "The fact that some favor waiting should mean only one thing: They can wait, if they need to wait, but we are going to go ahead." Henning said his group along with a coalition of others is exploring introducing ballot language that could be filed with the Secretary of State's office in the fall.

Black LGBT activist Ron Buckmire, who blogs at The Mad Professah Lectures, spent the last weekend knocking on doors in South Los Angeles, taking the temperature of black voters on marriage equality. He is not optimistic.

Ron Buckmire, president of the Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition, one of the groups that signed the statement issued Monday, said the need for more time was made clear to him this weekend when his group went door to door to talk to voters about same-sex marriage in South Los Angeles. "It was a huge success. We had 70 volunteers, working for five hours, knocked on 1,200 doors," he said. But after all that, they identified only 50 voters who moved in their direction. "We have to move 300,000 voters," he said. "Do the math."

Visit Buckmire's site for the complete statement from a coalition of LGBT groups titled Prepare to Prevail: Why We Must Wait In Order to Win.

Tweet Of The Day

FedEx Adds Trans Employee Protections

FedEx has approved a shareholder resolution granting protection to transgender employees, raising the ire of Christianist news outlet One News Now.

Without a vote from shareholders, one of America's largest corporations has decided to grant its transgender employees special protected status. Memphis-based FedEx has agreed to implement a shareholder resolution proposed by Huffington Post blogger Sara Whitman that would add "gender identity" to the company's non-discrimination policy. Whitman is a self-proclaimed "married lesbian mother of three boys" in Massachusetts. The resolution was filed on Whitman's behalf by Julie Goodridge, CEO of NorthStar Asset Management. Goodridge was the lead plaintiff in the well-known lawsuit (Goodridge v. Department of Public Health) that led to the legalization of same-sex "marriage" in Massachusetts. Earlier this year, she and her lesbian partner filed for divorce.

RELATED: FedEx only offers domestic partners benefits to its California employees, where it is required to by law. Employees hired by Kinko's prior to the FedEx acquisition get DP benefits as well.

Coopers Asks Obama About DADT

The president would like to see DADT repealed "sooner rather than later," but the Pentagon blah blah blah....

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of Fly Life Inc, today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to see the legendary Grace Jones at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom on July 30th. Last fall Jones released her tenth studio album and her first in 19 years, the critically raved Hurricane.

The original new wave, art/disco diva Grace Jones is back with her first album in 19 years (not including her two unreleased albums in the 90's). Hurricane features an all-star production team led by Ivor Guest, including Brian Eno, Tricky, and Sly & Robbie. Her one-off London Show at the Royal Festival Hall on June 19th for Massive Attack's Meltdown series of concerts saw the excitement for her forthcoming album sky-rocket, as The Times called it a 'sensational return to form', whilst the Telegraph observed that 'all around the gawping, whistling, cheering Festival Hall was the sense that this is how a star should be.' The show has been one of the most talked about of the year.

Tickets to Grace Jones' Los Angeles and NYC concerts are available here. (If you want a concert spoiler, here's the set list from her July 4th show in Belgium.) Enter to win two tickets to the Hammerstein show by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. If you cannot be in NYC on the day of the show, your winning entry is transferable to another party.